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M'Kyuun

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  1. M'Kyuun
    So, I'm seriously thinking about getting Maketoys Meteor, or their Skywarp (b/c I his color scheme), but beyond the hollow wings, the one other feature I find bothersome about the toy is the lack of shin vents. In an otherwise nigh perfect representation of the character, those always seemed iconic to the Seekers. I get that flat shins is toon accurate, but this is an instance where toon be damned- I want my shin vents. I vehemently wish Maketoys had made a removable set that just snap on, for those of us who prefer that look. So, I'm curious if anyone knows if there are any aftermarket shin vents for this figure (I'm thinking along the lines of Shapeway). Regardless, this figure is so on point with what I want in a MP Seeker- kinda curious why they didn't make a couple extra panels to fill in the bottoms of the wings- it's really the only thing that makes it feel unfinished, well, that and the all important shin vents. In all other respects, just a great toy from what I've seen in vids and stills, not to mention a number of reviewers' comments. Edit: I answered my own question after some further searching. For anyone else interested in shin vents for Meteor and the upcoming not-Skywarp and not-Thundercracker releases, jream on the TFW boards makes painted resin versions that look good and match the toy's aesthetic. He's also planning to make them for the upcoming releases. He charges about $9 for a set- little steep for a couple of small parts, though, and there's no built in attachment method- you glue or blue tack them on at your own risk. http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/threads/pd-23-maketoys-meteor-shin-thruster-vents.1136473/
  2. M'Kyuun
    Had my eye on this guy for awhile. I wish they'd figured out a way to make the arms fold into a single pod like the real plane (and incorporate landing gear into those arms). I really liked the Jizai version, but I've passed on all the third party takes on it. This takes some cues, esp the way the engines fold up so brilliantly. If he eventually goes on sale somewhere, I'll probably score a copy, as most reviews I've seen, while not glowing, are still mostly positive, and I'll agree that his bot mode is spot-on. And like Mike, I've always subscribed to the idea that these are robots in disguise, and sometimes the disguise need take the hit for a better bot mode. Thanks for the review, Mike.
  3. M'Kyuun
    Pulls off a decent GERWALK- shame those knees don't offer more reverse-joint ability, as you could really get some dynamic poses with this little guy. Pretty neat as he is, though. Apparently, Phoenix can pull it off, too. Not as refined as Cygnus, esp with those large gaps where his arms go in starship mode. Just the same, I absolutely love how FT integrated the arms into his alt- it's one of my top favorite among a litany of favorite things I love about this figure. Note that his legs are rotated 180 to orient his knees accordingly. I've not tried this, but I have to wonder how tough it was to balance him without a stand- likely required more patience than I possess.
  4. M'Kyuun
    Seems the concensus regarding Rouge all echo Mike's sentiments; not the polished , nigh-perfect not-Arcee many of us were hoping for, that I was really hoping for. The bit about using it as a torture device particularly struck a chord (kinda reminds me of my feelings towards X-Transbots' Eligos- I love the bot and alt modes , but I vehemently dislike transforming him due to all the tolerances). So, like others have mentioned, I'm going to wait for MMC's offering. Hopefully the MMC folks are carefully watching all these Rouge reviews and taking notes while developing theirs. BC's Sideswipe does impress- quite a step up from the official, although, I'll give TT a little slide room since it was their first MP car, and at the time, it set the standard. Can't really blame TT for inevitable improvements. Putting MP Sunstreaker next to Sideswipe is a nice gauge for seeing how far the engineering and philosophy behind these toys has come, at the official level. TT still got game, IMHO. As for BC, I think they make nice stuff, despite not owning any of their figures (was tempted by their Warpath), and I'm aware of their reputation for complex, or over-complex, transformations. Still, there's enough of an advancement here that it'd be nice to have a Sideswipe that matches MP Sunstreaker more closely in proportion and articulation. It'd be great if TT clued us in as to what MP cars they intended to make, or remake, but they don't, and right now BC's version is looking promising. So I wonder how many other 3Ps are going to announce new improved Sidewipes. That seems to be the third party way. In the case of Rouge and Toy World's even worse take, options are nice.
  5. M'Kyuun
    To be fair to the designers, it's far easier to capture the shape of the Y-Wing than the slopes on the Slave I. For what they have to work with in terms of parts, plus all the constraints they labor under (cost effectiveness, safety, etc,) I think they did a pretty good job. I have it sitting on my desk, and I still find it an overall impressive model. I do wish, however, that they'd engineered the cockpit to rotate with the wings like they do on System sets- that's a neat feature that works well. Unfortunately, you have to position the cockpit manually on the UCS set. Small price for an otherwise nice model. I also have the new Hoth Snowspeeder UCS, and that's a set I waited a long time for, and that met or exceeded expectations. It's one of my all-time favorite ships from SW, and I feel they knocked it out of the park- far better than their first attempt back in 2003.
  6. M'Kyuun
    "Peace through tyranny." Despite the upper torso being off (lots of sandwiched origami rather than just his gun slide as a single chunk), Takara did so much good with this figure that I can forgive it. Looking poised for planetary overthrow, Kuma. Nice.
  7. M'Kyuun
    Bad Cube's Sideswipe looks pretty good- definitely a nice upgrade to the original. I like the chest shrinking mechanism; looks like they did it mechanically rather than using a second chest cheat-engineering is cool. Still, there's something about it, even with all the vast improvements over the original, that just doesn't look or feel right, but I can't put my finger on it. As for all the MP recolors ('Plus' seems like a hopeful nicety), I'm pretty much skipping them. Prowl Plus doesn't look as good as the original release to me, and he's pretty much my Holy Grail Transformer toy among Transformers. The Megatron with toy accurate colors irks me a little, as I wish that'd been the first release (hopefully the head can swap with a more toon accurate one- I like a nice amalgam between toy and toon, capturing the best points of each). However, at MP Megs' pricepoint, I'll stick with the toon accurate one I have now. As for the Diaclone repaints, Blue Bluestreak was too good to pass up, and I love him- a gorgeous figure, who just happens to be standing guard on my printer watching me type this. I must confess some slight interest in the police redeco of Sunstreaker- that's an exceptional figure, and I like emergency vehicle livery, so he's a little tempting. Alas, too much other stuff coming that I want more, so, restraint.
  8. M'Kyuun
    At this point, in my mind, they're synonymous with these legends sized figures. If they produce something that's not, I'm not aware of it. Moreover, when other companies produce a legends scale figure, Iron Factory's my first thought, even if they didn't make it. They absolutely have carved a niche for themselves, and just looking at galleries and vids for these figures, I definitely appreciate everything that goes into them from engineering, to paint, to articulation, and quality of alt modes. Great toys. Little pricey for their size, and I'm pretty much tapped financially by other hobbies and just life stuff, so I enjoy them vicariously. That said, keep on posting them, Kuma. Cheers!
  9. M'Kyuun
    Quite a collection- love their take on Windblade. I'd like their Arcee more if she turned into her G1 car, or a close facsimile thereof. But on the whole, considering the vast majority of these guys are legends scale, they're cool little figures. 'Tots adorbs' I believe is the current vernacular.
  10. M'Kyuun
    The PE Reflector guys are adorable (very reminiscent of what Iron Factory are doing presently), but Maketoys rocked the G1 homage. Expensive set, though- even more than their Meteor F-15 figures.
  11. M'Kyuun
    Pretty sweet little Skyfire. Thanks, Kuma. Part of me wants this as a nice Mini-me for Phoenix.
  12. M'Kyuun
    Cheers to Tekering for the Toy Dojo link, as well as the heads up, Technoblue for your much appreciated (and totally legit ) review, and to Mike, whose reviews are always welcome, and who has certainly earned a reputable status, especially on this forum. Humble thanks to all of you. Having read Technoblue's review above, and following that up with Toy Dojo's, I'm feeling a sad sense of disappointment with Rouge. I think the final modes are both well done, but that transformation seems over-complex. Moreover, stuff like those wheels being a PITA to get and keep in position for car mode, as well as other such niggles, just don't really give me good feelings about Rouge. I have my fill of fiddly and PITA transformation with X-Transbot's Eligos, even though , like Rouge, the bot and alt modes are great. Just as well, I think there's gotta be a simpler way to realize Arcee's modes with a less fiddly transformation, but without resorting to the shellformation of the Generations figure. That said, I'll keep my options open for now, esp if MMC are doing a version. I like their takes on Mirage and Trailbreaker, so I look forward to see what they come up with. Again, thanks aplenty to you guys for making this forum such a user-friendly place, for your insights, for sharing info, and just for being good people. Cheers! Edit: I was aware of talk about MMC doing a G1 Arcee figure, but I hadn't actually seen pics until this morning (they've been out there since February, so I'm way behind the curve). Anyway, my initial impression is that it's decent, although the way her back packs attach doesn't look right (looks like lower back instead of shoulder, or shoulder blades), and her lower legs have an odd stacked appearance due to their folding on themselves for transformation. Still, overall, I think it's a nice looking figure in both modes (unlike ToyWorld's, she has a fully realized car mode like FT's). So between FT's, which I find the more striking aesthetically between the two, and MMC's, I think I'll wait to see what folks have to say about it in hand. Pictures, even ones that really present a figure in a strong light, can be deceptive, as most of you know.
  13. M'Kyuun
    As a cassette fan, I think KFC did an excellent job design-wise on Hi-fi. It fits perfectly next to MP Rumble, which was also a really well done cassette figure. That's about the highest praise I can give it. Alas, KFC does have a bit of a poor reputation, and from your description, there are some joint issues with Hi-fi, which is really disappointing. I would have been sold on looks alone. As for Transistor, I've never really been much of a Blaster fan, but I have to say KFC did well here. It looks good, and the addition of a very MP looking Autobot cassette is proverbial icing. Saw this over on TFW2005 and thought it too cool not to share http://news.tfw2005.com/2018/05/04/maketoys-cross-dimension-mtcd-05-buster-skywing-jetfire-skyfire-prototype-images-363379 As much as I like my Phoenix for all his huge boxy G1 self, Maketoy's design is inspired, both figuratively and literally. If you're going to pick a more realistic, yet fictional, alt for a Skyfire redesign, you could do much worse than a Quinjet. Given the new alt, I think they did a nice job capturing the main points of Skyfire's bot mode while still creating a custom look. It's one of the more interesting TF related things that's grabbed my attention recently, so thought I'd post it. I've been anticipating early reviews for Fanstoys Rouge (Arcee), as it looks amazing to me ( I'm guessing it's mostly a shell-former, and her chest is a cheat, as the front of the car actually becomes her back. I can live with both if the quality is there). Disappointing that no-one seems to have scored an early review copy. I'm holding off on a PO until a few reputable reviewers chime in in the positive.
  14. M'Kyuun
    I like that phrase arroz de festa- language, and its ties to culture, is always interesting. I think the English equivalent would be 'ubiquitous', which sounds heady, but not nearly so colorful as 'party rice'. As for the new film, as much as I like Dwayne Johnson, making Roadblock the leader just seems off to me, having grown up watching the show. Duke and Flint were always at the fore, along with Lady J and Scarlett, with guys like Roadblock serving as the muscle and the humor. We need a new Duke.
  15. M'Kyuun
    Man, I'd forgotten about this guy- had to do a search. Totally agree on the car mode- still cool 30+ years later (it'd make a neat future Batmobile). I never was a big fan of the driver cabin-cum-head designs of the DX Machine Robo figures. I guess it works if you consider them piloted mecha, but as sentient robots, I just don't care for it. Wasn't sure about the articulation on him; it's actually pretty decent for an 80's figure, with a bit of fore and aft at the hips, 180 deg of knee, 360 at the shoulder but no elbow from what I saw in the vid. That car mode is great though. I'd love to see a reinterpretation that gives him a proper head.
  16. M'Kyuun
    Funny, I don't mind it when biceps use a ball joint for double duty as you've described, esp on a smaller figure, something legends size. However, as the figures approach or exceed a deluxe scale, then, yeah, I think other joints are generally more appropriate, esp if they're toleranced correctly. What I don't get is why ratcheted ball joints aren't employed- simply dimple the ball like a golf ball and add a small nub or two in the socket to impart a little more strength to the joint. There would still be erosion of the surfaces over time, but the dimpling would prolong the life of the joint beyond just friction alone. In theory, anyway. I've been impressed by numerous toys (any number of the Bayverse figures, and others besides) employing ball joints that have a sort of built-in détente for alignment for transformation, so the tech has certainly evolved to the stage where options are available to edify the efficacy of ball joints for longer life and functionality. I think frugality, indifference, or both come into play on the part of the manufacturers, which is a shame. They hold so much potential so far as range of motion that it'd be cool to see the tech, and thus their usefulness and endurance, expand. I'm part and partial to ball joints, both because they were the first steps towards greatly improved articulation in transforming toys back in the 90's, they allow for a greater range of motion than most other joints, and they're simple to employ. As a LEGO builder, they're pretty handy, although LEGO's ball joints are pretty weak and could use the dimpling I mentioned. On larger toys, though, their tendency to wear out quickly under load makes them a poor choice, as we've seen with Arcadia's valks (those damnable ankles!) But in small areas, they're hard to beat for their versatility. Now ratchets are phenomenal- just a glorious piece of compact technology with a plethora of applications. Imparting both strength and the requisite number of detentes for the given application is really the key, and why so many toys tend to fall short in the articulation department. But when they're done right, it's magical. You may not have guessed due to my subtle manner, but I'm a huge fan of ratchets.
  17. M'Kyuun
    What would go a long way towards improving their X-Wing sets is a four-stud wide engine piece, as the engines are just a tad small on the System sets. Scale is a tough thing when you're dealing with such a system of parts with very defined dimensions. So I looked at Y-Wings past, and discovered, much to my embarrassment, that any number of sets also had that cabin section behind the cockpit, esp the previous UCS Y-Wing from 2003, and even the Rogue One Y-Wing (both of which I own). So, senility. That would make a nice display if you have the room for it. I've often thought it'd be cool to hang them from the ceiling with fishing line, or the like. God help ya if one of them , esp a Falcon, ever broke loose while you were under it, though. A System Falcon would hurt, but either UCS Falcon would leave a mark. Imagine responding to that call as an EMT- LEGO everywhere and a guy knocked out cold in the middle of it.
  18. M'Kyuun
    I won't. As for size comparison betwixt the new UCS and the Rogue One (which is a fine set in and of itself), the UCS is upscaled quite dramatically if you place the two side by side. The cockpit area is longer, with a longer cabin area, the neck is longer, and the engines are scaled up from four studs wide to six. TBH, I hadn't noticed until I started doing the comparisons how much larger the cabin section on this model is; it appears as if you could place two minifigs in there quite comfortably, and if so, it'd be a first for a LEGO Y-Wing set. My interest in this has been lukewarm at best, so I've not paid it the attention I normally do for other sets; however, I may have to watch a few vids, as by now any number of LEGO blogs have been given the set to do reviews ahead of release- a nice perk, I must say. Digression aside, I'm becoming curious about that cabin area now. Yeah, they make a dome piece, albeit it's a canopy so it has a handle, that would have looked much nicer than those studs that break up the smoothness of the engine pods. Knowing the LEGO palette as I do, some of the part choices, and in the case of UCS Hulkbuster, design choices, boggles my mind.
  19. M'Kyuun
    Makes sense, although I'd still rather have the smaller figs (less room required for display, and they're still fun little figs). I do think that $40-45 is a bit steep for such small figures, though, but given that they're niche and likely to be the only updated MR figures we'll get in the foreseeable future, I'm still willing to pick them up. I wish they could have expanded their license beyond Revenge of Cronos, as that would have opened up a lot more characters to be made, and increased the allure of the line. I hope Loco and Supercar make production, since they have grey models of both already. If they make a DX Eagle, I'm curious to see how it turns out. I think they did a great job on DX Bike, although I have no plans to pick him up (the small version is fine for me). However, I like transforming planes, so a DX version of Eagle may warrant a purchase. I won't shed any tears if they skip a small release and go straight for a DX Harrier, either. Any of the planes for that matter. A DX Blackbird with fully retractable gear and a better proportioned SR-71 mode would be most welcome. I'd also be down for an updated Trailer Robo (Road Ranger), although I'm not sure if he was in Revenge of Cronos.
  20. M'Kyuun
    I concur; it's nice to have someone knowledgeable concerning legalese who can explain it to those of us, such as myself, who know little or nothing about such matters. Your explanations of both the situation between the various companies involved, as well as legal terms and meanings, is most appreciated, Seto Kaiba. With the situation between HG and Tatsunoko likely strained, it's hard not to get hopes up that they'll finally lose their iron grip on Macross outside of Japan. Couple more years until the moment of truth.
  21. M'Kyuun
    I have any number of Y-Wing sets, including the previous UCS release. The new one really doesn't do anything for me that grabs my attention. However, it's the big draw item for the upcoming May 4th promotion. I'm more interested in picking up the Solo Millennium Falcon. Eventually, I'll get the new UCS version- just gotta build those VIP points a little more. Scroll down a little and check out this transforming Y-Wing. https://www.flickr.com/photos/spacie-11/ I'd buy this in a heartbeat if it was ever put on Ideas and accepted. The cool thing is that he has released the LDD files so you can build it yourself (the link is there on his Flickr page). Best Y-Wing design ever in my opinion. The rest of his Flickr is worth checking out, too- damned good builder.
  22. M'Kyuun
    Yep, I've seen his solution, and it's both elegant and functional. I agree, the model should have been like this out of the box. In addition to Exo-Force, and any number of mech sets which feature hip articulation, Kai's big red mech from the Ninjago Movie featured a similar setup as Chubbybot's Hulkbuster mod, which begs the question, why wasn't it employed in a UCS set? Anyway, I have the Hulkbuster set; I just haven't built it yet (probably this week). However, I may just invest in this mod, as I think his modded version looks better, and certainly functions better, than the actual set. I'm hoping, in the absence of any new joints, that this is the basic hip setup that'll be employed for Voltron. After all, the hips need to move for Black Lion to assume his lion mode, and those AT-AT leg joints are the only ratcheting joint parts up to the task currently.
  23. M'Kyuun
    I'm glad I don't read comics, and have only minimal engagement with the various animated shows, or these movies would be busted at every turn, such is the long and storied history of these characters. Suffice to say, ignorance being the greatest bliss, I enjoyed the movie for what it was. I thought the greatest strength of it was a moderate amount of screen time given to developing Thanos as a person, rather than just another throwaway super villain. I was rather amazed at how well they expressed emotion on his face, the tech and artistry in CG has come so far. I got the Capt Marvel reference, if only b/c I'd seen some article or promo somewhere about her, so I knew she was coming one way or another. I agree that she is not a very well known character to those of us uninitiated (I've seen her once in a cartoon- that's it for my personal exposure), so to introduce her out of the blue without any prior buildup just seems like shoehorning in another superbeing to counteract the current superbeing threat. I haven't looked, but I'm guessing there'll be an origin movie for her sometime before the next Avengers so we know who she is, and why she's the 'one' to save us all. -Yep, in 2019. After the movie, I looked up Thanos on the Marvel wiki, and wow, there's a lot of history there, a lot of metaphysical stuff, characters dying and coming back (the aforementioned Warlock)- just a lot of stuff that happened in the comics involving Thanos and the characters interwoven into his story. I had to stop about halfway down, as it was all too much for me to absorb. I appreciate the way they were able to pluck a few shreds of all that tapestry and still make a coherent story in which our intrepid Avengers/GotG fit. I'm thinking the comics writers were doing a lot of illicit drugs while reading mind-expanding literature throughout the Thanos years- it seems way out there. I don't know about Marvel bringing Capt Marvel into the fray just to compete with DC; I don't think they need to, quite honestly. If that were the case, they could do a She-Hulk, or Spiderwoman, or a stand-alone Black Widow movie- one with a better known character. Alas, the kernel of interest I find between Marvel and DC is that Capt Marvel's name is Carol Danvers, and Kal-El's plucky cousin is Kara Danvers, both of which wear red and blue long-johns and a cape, fly, have super strength, and possess any other number of super powers. Granted, Capt Marvel, throughout the character's many iterations, has a much more storied history. Probably not a coincidence the similarities in the names, though.
  24. M'Kyuun
    Perhaps I'm in the minority, as I much prefer the updated Eagle compared to the original MR toy. It was limited by the tech, and the thought process concerning transforming toys, in its time. If they do a DX, I'd rather they adhere to what they did with their update; however, I can understand folks wanting a minimal update, aesthetically, to the old toy. While not as iconic as the F-15s from Transformers, Leader-1 is still pretty recognizable. So I wonder what's become of their Loco-Robo and Supercar(Turbo)? The grey proto for the latter was shown in their initial showcase years ago. A couple larger transforming characters (I believe one of them is called Tough Truck) from Revenge of Cronos was shown a year or so ago, along with Loco, but none of them seem to have progressed beyond their proto appearances. I'm not interested i8n the larger two figures, but Loco and Supercar would be nice to have. I'm still holding onto a wispy hope that Harrier will eventually get made. Without so much as even a proto to hang my hopes, coupled with the slow pace of releases for these guys, it seems that hope is all I may ever have.
  25. M'Kyuun
    I'm not bummed, as I've long hoped LEGO would produce official Tron stuff (I dig the overall look), but I'll agree with your other sentiments- high price to parts (cost of licensing, no doubt), and that there was better fare to choose from during that particular round. Since TRU is shutting down, I've been checking the only other brick and mortar store, Barnes and Noble, that carry Ideas sets, at least in my area, to no avail as yet. Anyway, the final models are a bit lackluster, if not a trifle inaccurate (I would have loved had they figured out a way to make the wheels hollow and still rotate like the film version, or made a new wheel piece and a runner for it to snap into- would be useful on so many sci-fi MOCs). I still want them, though. I'm hoping more Tron sets come out of this, both from the original film and from Legacy. On the subject of Ideas, I'm still anticipating Voltron, which I still can't believe made the cut. Super happy about it, though, and I hope the design team take their time to really get it right- I'm hoping like hell that it doesn't turn out to be another half statue like the UCS Hulkbuster- no excuse for not articulating the legs. They have the parts to do it, and also the facility to make new parts that are up to the task.
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